Shadow Hearts II: Devil Loincloth
by Tiger5913
Summary: Ever wondered what Kurando's reaction was to getting the Devil Loincloth as his final armor? Here's my silly little interpretation. [mild Kurando x Anastasia]


11/12/04

Disclaimer: The characters in this fic, such as Kurando, Anastasia, etc. don't belong to me; they are property of Midway, so don't sue! ;.;

Dedications: God, my friends, my cousins, my readers, Midway for gracing this magnificent RPG with a sequel, despite the ending they chose to go off of, and finally, sudden inspiration for making me write this bizarre little piece.

Special dedications to: Rikainiel, for being such an avid supporter of Kurando x Anastasia.

**Shadow Hearts II: Devil Loincloth**

**By Tiger5913**

"…Please tell me you're joking."

It was the night before the group of friends would confront Kato Masaji in a final battle, and most of the party was taking their time, leisurely re-exploring the upper levels of the Asuka Stone Platform. As with all of the previous places, the current area also had treasure chests conveniently sitting around, left by some mysterious benefactor, just waiting for someone to come along and plunder its goods inside. Earlier, the man in charge of their posse had stumbled across a rather interesting little piece of clothing that could serve as protective equipment, and now he was trying to convince its usefulness to the would-be owner. Two of the male fighters volunteered to stay behind on the first floor, one of whom was the leader, and they had just finished setting up the usual duo tents side-by-side in preparation for rest, and were presently standing around, waiting for their allies to return.

The brown-haired fusionist fought back the urge to laugh at the young samurai's reaction, keeping a mostly-straight face as he retrieved the item from his fanny pack, and held up the 'generous' gift. "No, I'm not kidding. Go ahead, take it! You need new equipment, right?"

"I… I don't think so, Yuri. It's… it's a loincloth! It's far more suitable for a wild jungle man, not a civilized person," his cousin protested with an incredulous look on his face as he tried to imagine himself wearing such a skimpy little garment.

"Aw, come on, Kurando," Yuri Hyuga couldn't resist a small grin after hearing the refusal, but he insisted, "Everyone else has gotten their final armor all ready to go for tomorrow's big fight. Are you just gonna stick with that old Ninja Gi? It's getting kinda ragged."

Kurando Inugami regarded the crimson loincloth with a quirked eyebrow, quite unsure of whether or not he should accept it as protective gear, but he showed some interest after identifying the Japanese character on the front side. He had heard of the legend associated with the Devil Loincloth, but it was an old artifact that got lost in time, and to find it looking brand-new and pristine in the Asuka Stone Platform was very odd… However, the seventeen-year-old tried to look at the article of clothing from a useful perspective, and realized that it resembled the same garment he donned when he fusioned with Jutendouji, his recently-acquired form. Well, if the supposed folklore of the Devil Loincloth was true, then it would bring incredible defensive power to the wearer, and if he should wear it under his samurai robes where no one could see, then maybe…

"Uhh… you okay there?" The older fusionist inquired with an edge of concern in his voice after a long moment of silence, and he began to retract his arm. "Hey, if the thought of wearing this thing is gonna put you in a coma, you don't have to take it. I'll just toss it away somewhere tomorrow."

"Oh, no, that's not necessary…" the young swordsman replied, holding up a hand to stop him after a brief contemplation of his own insanity as he wondered if he could really wear such a thing. "Maybe… maybe I'll just try it on and see if it… see if it fits…"

_Hah, I can't believe he's actually gonna go through with this! _Yuri grinned a bit at the concession, and readily forked over the little red garment to his cousin, then gestured toward the shelter behind them with the assurance, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for the others so they won't walk in on you or anything, he he."

"Th-thanks…" Kurando agreed shakily as he slowly began walking toward one of the tents, his crimson eyes staring at the similar-shaded loincloth with slight disbelief, and finally, he disappeared behind the tan-colored flaps of their lodging.

"Heh, geez, I'm glad I don't have to be stuck wearing that thing," the man remaining outside mused to himself, comfortable adjusting his own armor before laughing quietly as he recalled his cousin's expression when he had first been presented with the item. "Thank God Lenny gave me this jacket…"

"Yuri! We're back!" A feminine voice suddenly called out from the side.

He turned to identify the speaker, and gave her a friendly wave while addressing the entire trio of returning fighters, "Hey there, guys! Are the others still wandering around up there?"

"I guess so!" The young princess deduced as she bound over to him, her intelligent canine companion trailing closely behind, followed by the tall, blond resident vampire of their group.

"Yo, Blanca! Good to see you back, boy," Yuri greeted warmly and bent down to pat his white-furred ally on the head. "What's that you got in your teeth? Did you find something while you guys were exploring?"

"Awroo, awroo! (Yes, I found this Pure Extract in a treasure chest.)" Blanca answered in his growls of wolf-talk that only his closest friends were able to understand, and then dropped the small bag containing the curative item on the floor.

"Nice," the fusionist commented approvingly as he picked up the pouch to place it into his fanny pack. "I'll hold onto this for you, okay? You can use it in the fight tomorrow."

The canine agreed with a rapid nod before he gave the air a quick sniff, and then began to trot off toward one of the tents; their Romanian wrestler ally yawned loudly and followed suit, looking forward to sleep before the upcoming battle.

"H-hey, Blanca, Joachim!" Yuri quickly called out just in time to stop them from entering, remembering his promise to the samurai about keeping the others away while he was trying on the loincloth inside.

"What is it, Yuri?" Joachim Valentine inquired with his hand upon the loose flap, and the wolf turned around to glance at the speaker, quietly whining his own mystification.

"Uhh… why don't you guys keep me company out here while I wait for the others to come back?" The brown-haired young man requested as he fumbled for a better excuse to buy his cousin some time, "And who knows, enemies might show up at any minute; you wouldn't want me to fight them by myself, right?"

"Well, I don't see why not," the vampire complied with a slight shrug while Blanca growled in agreement, and the two left the vicinity of the tent to join their leader in waiting for their remaining allies to return.

The lone girl watched them standing together and spoke up gingerly, "Um… Yuri?"

"Yeah?" He pivoted halfway to look at her.

She tipped her head down a bit and her hands went to clasp behind her back as she slowly began to sway in motion, personifying her adorable innocence. "I'm pretty tired from all the walking and battling we did on the upper floors, so I was wondering… if you and Blanca and Joachim can handle the enemies together, can I go inside and sleep?"

"Sure, we'll be fine, Anastasia," Yuri assured her with a grin, although his eyes briefly flickered over the two tents, silently wondering which one Kurando had entered earlier; he didn't pay attention, so he had to make a lucky guess. "Uhh… the left tent is for you girls, so go in that one."

"All right!" Princess Anastasia Romanov chirped happily and strolled over to the aforementioned lodging, a pleased smile gracing her lips in response to his agreement to let her off the hook while the men and Blanca would be on patrol. "Okay, see you in the morning, everyone!"

After a brief chorus of her allies bidding the young brunette a good night, she pealed back one flap of the tent and quickly ducked inside; mere seconds later, two voices yelped in unison, "Ahhhh!!"

The twenty-five-year-old fusionist winced at the twin cries that informed him he made the wrong choice, while his companions abruptly whirled around in surprise, wanting to identify the source of the noise. The Russian princess came running out of the tent just then, her hands covering up her face, bright red cheeks aflame with embarrassment at what she saw inside, and she repeatedly squealed in bashfulness. Joachim and the white canine glanced at each other in confusion, then both turned their attention to Anastasia in hopes that she would offer an explanation, but she kept her back turned, continuing to shake her head awkwardly. A few minutes passed before Kurando darted outside as well, his expression also quite flustered, though his eyes clearly held mild irritation when he cast his gaze on Yuri, who was casually looking around, feigning innocence.

"Y-Yuri!" The young samurai stammered in shaken annoyance, "You said that you would…!"

"H-hey, sorry, I made a mistake!" His cousin proclaimed in apology while holding up his hands in surrender as he tried to appear utterly sincere. "I didn't see which tent you went into, so I just guessed-!"

"Are you sure you didn't do this on purpose?!"

Yuri coughed nervously, but shook his head firmly in denial. "Why would I do that? You think I'm trying to scar Anastasia for life or something?"

At the mention of the abashed girl, Kurando flushed a bit more, and he turned back to locate her, his gaze softening considerably when he found the desired person, and saw her petite form shrunken slightly in embarrassment. Swallowing nervously, he slowly made his way over to her position, and asked her gently, his tone too quiet for the others to hear, "A-Anastasia? Are… are you all right…?"

She didn't offer a verbal answer, just nodded slightly in response, her back still facing him.

"Hey, I already said I was sorry…" the older fusionist remarked candidly while he awkwardly scuffed his feet upon the ground, "Why are you guys making such a big deal out of this? It's not like she saw you naked or anything… right…?"

Anastasia frantically shook her head in denial as her crush whirled around and shot Yuri a glare; she had walked in on Kurando wearing his hakama top, but with only a little red loincloth covering his lower body. When she had entered and froze at the sight, he turned to see who the newcomer was, which gave her a full view of his front side, a mere square of material shielding his private region from her eyes. Even though she hadn't really seen anything incriminating, that much exposure alone made her blush fiercely while her heart pounded at the memory; how in the world could she ever look at him the same again after what just happened? The others peered at her curiously as the chestnut-haired girl contemplated everything, understanding her embarrassment, but wondering why she seemed so mortified when she liked the samurai in the first place.

Eager to break the uncomfortable silence, and hopefully bring the princess out of her stupor, Yuri piped up impishly, "He he, maybe you should've taken a picture, Anastasia, so you could blackmail him with it later!"

Kurando's glare intensified as Anastasia blushed more deeply, and then turned around to hastily dash into the right tent, the one that was really for the girls, leaving her friends outside to sort through the episode.

"Aw, come on… I was just kidding around," the older fusionist laughed while Joachim and Blanca looked away in anticipation of a verbal lashing from the usually-calm young swordsman. "So, Kurando, how did the loincloth fit?"

"It was fine," the seventeen-year-old replied with a touch of irritation in his voice, but then a mysterious glint lit up his eyes briefly, and he remarked casually, "Oh, Yuri. Did I mention that I recently got a new fusion form?"

"You did?" Yuri didn't catch the underlying message, and merely grinned in approval. "Heh, I guess you're starting to get the hang of your fusion power now! You should show us the new form sometime."

A little more aware of the situation at hand, the vampire and the white wolf inconspicuously took a few steps away from their leader when Kurando stood to his full height, his hand lingering over his sheathed sword as a dangerous smile curved his lips.

"You might see it sooner than you think…"

**The End**

**Author's Note: **Yay, another SH2 fic completed! :D I got the idea for this weird little piece when I received Kurando's Devil Loincloth in the last dungeon, and I wondered how he would react if Yuri gave that to him and said it was his final armor… Eh, this was my pathetic attempt at SH humor, and I hope I didn't do too badly. Well, much thanks to you guys for reading this, and please leave a review to let me know what you think! Feel free to request something. :)

**With love for my fans,**

**Tiger5913**


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